Alexander straus



(No Model.)

` mA. STRAUS.A ELASTIC FABRIC.

No. 526,546. Patented Sept. 25, 1894.

ams crans omwlowurumwnsu l `the strength necessary to resist tearing or u UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE. d

ALEXANDER STRAUS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELAs-rlc FABRIC;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 526,546, dated September 25, 1894.

Application filed May 4, 1894. Serial No. 510,030. (No model.)

plication is an improvement in fabrics composed of a textile material and india rubber and known generally as elastic fabrics. The

object of my invention has been to produce a fabricof this character which would yield or stretch in onedirection only, andyet possess bursting under any pressure or strain `to which it is likely to be exposed in practical use.

rThe fabric which I have discovered is more especially designed for the manufacture of pneumatic or inflatable tires for cycle and v other wheels, for which purpose it must not only possess the properties above stated, but it should be of such character that the tendency of the threads to chafe and wear under the severe strain to which they are subjected, will be reduced to a minimum.

In the manufacture of fabrics of this nature it has been customary to combine and unite by various processes a woven fabric and india rubber in layers; a sheet of fabric between two sheets or layers of rubber or conversely, and in various other ways. To produce fabrics which should have a greater yield in one `direction than in the other it has also been usual to lay the fabrics so that the threads would run obliquely to the lines of strain, or in other words, on the bias, and to arrange the series of threads at different angles to such lines, it being obvious that the capability of yield along any given line will be greater or less according as one of the series of threads is farther from or nearer to par allelism with such line.` It has also been proposed to make an elastic fabric by uniting two layers of cloth cut on the bias by means of a layer of vulcanizable compound, and in order to impart to the finished fabric a greater degree of elasticity in one direction than in the other, to strain the two layers of diagonal cloth in one direction before applying them to the vulcanizable compound. By the first method, however, it is impossible to prevent all stretch in one direction without limiting the elasticity in a direction at right angles, while the last is so difficult of execution as to be impracticable and produces a compound fabric in each layer ofwhich the threads cross each other in contact and so as to be exposed to wear, When used for cycle tires, by rubbing and sawing upon each other.

In carrying out my invention I take any fabric such as is commonly used for this purpose and composed of interwoven threads crossing each other at substantially right angles. I then incorporate with a single thickness or layer of this fabric and while it is in f its normal or unstretched condition, unvul.- canized india rubber, employing the well known frictioning process, or one of similar kind that will force the rubber into the fabric between the threads or meshes as distinguished from those processes which merely result in uniting the sheet of rubber superfieially with the fabric. After this is done I stretch the fabric with the unvulcanized rubber incorporated therewith in either of the directions which tend to draw its threads into parallelism and until the threads limit the yield or nearly to such point, and while in this condition, under stretch or strain I vulcanize or cure the rubber which destroys any tendency therein to return to its original shape. Thus I produce a material composed of rubber and a simple fabric which is stretched in one direction and hence incapable of further or material yield in that direction, but capable of a very great amount of stretch or yield in a direction at right angles. It will be understood that the stretching of the fabric, merely changes the angles between its th reads and that it has little tendency of itself to return to its normal condition, and that it is fixed in such extended condition by the rubber, the essential feature of the improvement being that the fabric is stretched in one diagonal direction and held in such condition and with a tendency to return thereto by the elastic body of rubber incorporated therewith,

In practice the compound fabric is made in strips of greater length than width, and for this purpose the fabric is cut in diagonal strips or on thebias thenincorporated into the rubberk and thenostretchedlengthwise. Such strips it will be seen arepiacticelly nonextensible i lcmgtudinally, but laterally they 'may be stretched to en extent' that will bring thethreads cf theffebrieinto the semefiela# tive positions `but' iny a`diiecticn "at right anglee; to that inr Which y"they are ynorm alliyheldi yIn the drawings Iheve illustrated thein- Ventio'n in the serialoviewsy Whichlwill bende# scribed `in their order. o I Fignrel showsfa, strip of fabrie'A, cut on the bias and in its normaler unstretehed condition. y Fig. 2 representsthelsaine when'lom" gitudinally stretched .and incorporated with theindia rubber` r i Fig. 3 isagview showing a modified form oftheinvention,pcrtidnsot .the several layers beingV sho Wn, 1 Fige-` is a fview of a portion 'ofAk the `fabric nsedinlthe material of Fig;` 3. o A y r l I Sometimes a fabiicf'Alikethatjin Fig. is made 'and (which, di'ets yfrom thefkcrdi-nary fabricsinhavingpracticilly no Werp th reads, y:or f onlyy snffieient to givefit the 'sembianlcf `of a. fabric; bntflwhichrsereno ether pectieail 1.1m@ method r'set forth."

purpose.` f f When suchafebrie isfus'ed in makf ing my improved materieiit-:is necessary te v use two layensof" the smneA and E, and in such onset-he ytwo layers are'` embedded ini and united by a sheet of rnblonl Bwhieh is then stretched longitudinally and VulcamizeiiV 'Y While insnchf.eoedition;k y o .i

Havingy now described my invention, what, Igclaimisf v if oi'- rpacess'herein, described' of making entelestie fabric which consists in incorporntingtindia. v rnbberz `with "etk woven jfebric thenlstetching the fabric diagonally in one direction, and tliengiixingtheseme iny :such condition bysvnlcanizing, the indiafifnbf bei', incorporated ,tnerewith;r y, f

2. Themaiterial hereindescribedeemposed of nywoven fabric eutj'ont-he 4biais, end.stretched fin onedireetion@ and havingits th reads, sepjaratelyuenbedjded "in a` body .ef vulcanized indizi` rubber incorporated with the fabric; 'as

ALEXANDER STRAUS* 

